Movie: Tanu Weds Manu Returns
Rating: 3/5
Banner: Colour Yellow Pictures
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, R. Madhavan, Jimmy Shergill and Others
Music: Krsna Solo, Tanishk-Vayu
Cinematography: Chirantan Das
Editor: Hemal Kothari
Producers: Kishore Lulla, Anand L. Rai
Direction: Anand L. Rai
Release Date: May 22, 2015
Last time around, the first episode between Tanuja Trivedi and Manoj Sharma ended on the classic happily ever after note. Meanwhile, Tanu or Kangana Ranaut went on to bag national award and Madhavan hasn’t done very many films.
Well, the first time around, Tanu Weds Manu acquired cult status of sorts and was a huge box office success.
Goes without saying, when Tanu Weds Manu Returns was announced, there was lots of anticipation as to what the director has to say in the sequel.
Now that the film has hit the theatres, it can safely be said that the film traces the story of Tanu (Kangana Ranaut) and Manu (Madhavan) four years later.
So, the film begins on a quintessential cold morning at a mental facility somewhere near London where the now almost alienated and bitter Tanu and Manu go for marriage counseling. Instead of talking out their differences and trying to sort them out, off they go on a blame game and Manu even breaks into a fit of rage which lands him in the asylum.
A scared and scarred Tanu returns to India, but calls Manu’s family to collect Manu from the mental facility from the plane.
Once she lands in her home town Kanpur, she tries to rebound with her ex-flames dressed in some really funky fusion ensembles. Meanwhile, a heart-broken and shaken Manu too lands in India and in Delhi, he meets Kusum or Datto (Kangana Ranaut), a medal-winning athlete who is a student at the Delhi University.
Of course, goes without saying, Manu almost stalks Kusum who is a look-alike of Tanu and in time, Kusum starts reciprocating to his puppy-eyed looks.
And before they get a chance to meet in India, Manu gets divorce papers from Tanu and this pushes him to propose to Kusum. From then on, things start happening pretty fast and Manu goes to Kusum’s village to marry her.
So, will Manu have the courage to leave Tanu and marry Kusum? Well, that is anyone’s guess. One has to confess that the film has a rather oh-so-predictable and yes-its-got-to-be-that ending.
But Tanu Weds Manu Returns is a reality check on the way marriages progress in today’s time and age. Well, the ending is definitely not path-breaking, but that is the beauty of the film. It reiterates what our film-makers and story-tellers have said about the institution of marriage for ages and maintains that an Indian marriage is as conventional as it has ualways been.
Of course, that is not to say that director Anand Rai has a boring yarn. Just like the first part, Tanu Weds Manu Returns has some sparkling dialogues and beautiful screenplay.
The characterization of every actor and the visual narrative is strong. Yet, it suffers from what many sequels suffer from. It definitely does not touch your heart like the first part. There is some interesting music and provides a beautiful colour palette for the audiences.
A mention has to be made of the vibrant wardrobe of Kangana and the Gujarati-themed Punjabi sangeet which totally reflect the culture up north.
But the climax and the run-up to it is a bit strenuous and once the end becomes predictable, you kind of wish for the film to end, simply end. You no longer have any empathy for either Tanu or Manu and instead warm up to Kusum and Raj Avasthi (Jimmy Shergill once again).
As for the cast, Anand Rai once again succeeds in putting together a perfect assortment of actors who totally fit the canvass. Of course, Kangana playing the double role goes on to show why she deserved the national award and all the awards she has been getting in recent past. If one thought Queen was her best, then she goes a step further as Tanu and Kusum and outdoes herself.
Madhavan is his usual best playing the totally confused and selfish husband, while Jimmy Shergill surely gets your sympathies and love this time around, thanks to his character.
In all, Tanu Weds Manu Returns is not a sensational sequel, but it is a good watch for the dialogues and Kangana.
(Venkat can be reached [email protected] or https://twitter.com/greatandhranews)
